Once I was lounging, I called Mitch to tell him about my phone call from Tack. He made no comment (though he did give me heavy silence for a moment) and then he shared that he was at the attorney’s office handing off the papers Bill signed.
I looked at the kids horsing around in the pool.
“They’re yours, sweetheart,” Mitch said softly in my ear.
They were.
My soul sighed.
“Hurry home tonight,” I said softly back. “Casa Bonita. Bray and Brent confirmed though they did it under protest and informed me they’ll be wearing disguises because if any of their gay posse sees them in Casa Bonita they’ll get kicked out of the club. Tess called and told me she, Brock and the kids are meeting us there. So are Kenny and his kids. LaTanya and Derek are following us.”
“Got it.”
“We’ll be ready when you get home.”
“Got it.”
“We still on for those viewings with the real estate agent on Saturday?” I asked.
“Yep,” he answered then threw out his own question. “You sittin’ by the pool right now in a bikini?”
“Yep,” I answered.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
I grinned.
My man thought I was hot.
“I’m also covered in suntan oil,” I shared.
I heard that sound I knew and loved come from deep in his chest, Mitch’s immensely attractive chuckle.
Then he said, his voice deep and vibrating with his laughter, “Mara.”
I closed my eyes.
That was mine.
Mine.
A life ahead of me with a beautiful, good man who said my name often with his deep voice vibrating with laughter.
And again, my soul sighed.
“Auntie Mara!” Billie yelled. “Come dunk me!”
I opened my eyes.
“The princess speaks,” Mitch muttered again, a smile in his voice.
“You know it,” I replied, my smile in mine.
“And love it.”
My soul sighed yet again.
That was mine too.
All mine.
“Right,” I whispered. “Love you, baby.”
“Love you too, honey.”
“Ready?” I asked.
“Ready,” he replied, a smile again in his voice.
“Break,” I whispered, my smile also in mine.
Then he was gone.
Epilogue
Hometown Bud Lawson
Mitch
Thirteen years later…
“That shirt burnin’ your skin?”
Mitch was looking down at his wife who was wearing a Colorado Rockies jersey.
The number on the back, 9.
“Absolutely not,” she replied and he grinned.
“Any Cubs fans see you in that, they’re gonna throw you out of the Die Hard Club,” Mitch warned.
“I’ll take my chances,” Mara muttered.
Mitch grinned.
“We’re late, we’re late! Sorry, we’re late.” They both heard and Mara’s head turned as Mitch’s eyes went down the row to see Billie and her latest boyfriend scooting along the row, her dark hair shining in the bright Colorado sun, way too fucking much of her long, tanned legs exposed by her short-shorts.
It was early April. It should be cold. At least chilly.
Not in Colorado. It was eighty-six degrees and had been for two weeks.
Tomorrow the forecast was snow.
But today, Billie was in short-shorts. And she had been for two weeks, Mitch knew from the evidence of her legs being tan.
“For the record,” Mitch muttered, his eyes having moved to Billie’s most recent, “I do not like that guy.”
He felt Mara’s gaze and he looked down at her to see her lips pressed together but her eyes dancing.
Then she unpressed her lips and whispered, “You never do.”
“I like this guy less,” Mitch informed her.
Mara’s shoulders started shaking as her eyes continued dancing and she pressed her lips together again.
“And also, you need to have a word with her about those fuckin’ shorts,” Mitch went on.
Mara’s entire body started shaking.
“I’m not jokin’,” he whispered.
“You never are,” she whispered back.
No, he never was. When Billie hit fifteen what Mara called The Battle of Skin commenced. Mitch thought Billie exposed too much. Billie disagreed. Mara waded in explaining to Mitch that he was overprotective. Mitch explained to Mara that was his job. Mara told Mitch to relax. Mitch told Mara it wasn’t his job to relax; it was his job not to let his girl leave the house exposing too much skin seeing as he was a guy and he knew what guys had in their heads. Especially at fifteen. And sixteen. And, like Billie’s most recent, twenty-one.
Mitch lost a lot. Women, he found, since his fucking house was full of them, ganged up on you. They also had staying power. It was worth the effort but it wasn’t worth the headache you got in the long run. So he always gave the effort but he usually gave in.
Billie was nineteen, he got that. But his girl would be forty and he’d always give a shit.
About everything.
“We’re here!” Billie cried then sat her ass down in the empty seat beside Mara while whatever-the-fuck-his-name-was (Mitch didn’t trouble himself with remembering them, he’d learned that early) sat next to her. His girl’s eyes came right to him. “And, Mitch, it wasn’t Ridge’s fault we were late. It was mine.”
Ridge.
Right. The kid’s name was Ridge.
Fuck.
Who named their kid Ridge?
“Dad! Mom! Shift! I wanna sit by Billie!”
Mitch turned to his daughter who was sitting next to him.
His ten year old Faith was Billie cloned. Lots of energy. Lots of smiles. Lots of laughter. Lots of love. In five years, Mitch would hit a new level of hell when she realized she was beautiful, had a fantastic figure and the power to toy with men at her whim.
“Good, I wanna sit by Daddy,” he heard this said softly and his eyes moved from the dark-haired, blue-eyed Faith to the seat next to her where his eight year old, dark-haired, brown-eyed Marcie sat.
Marcie looked like her father but she acted like her mother. Sweet. Shy. Smart. Quiet. Loyal. Unconsciously funny. And clueless to just how beautiful she was and how much love she provoked.
He loved his Faith but Faith grew up two years ago.
Marcie was his little girl and always would be.
They shifted and Faith got her spot by her adored Billie. They immediately commenced conniving, heads close and Mitch figured Billie was sharing how to break men’s hearts. A skill, incidentally, she’d been honing also since she was fifteen.
The only hope Mitch had was that Ridge’s days were numbered.
They always were.
Mitch sighed and put his arm around Marcie.
Her eyes were on the field.
“It’s gonna start soon,” she whispered.
Her excitement was in her long legs which were swinging. It was also in her voice.
Faith was Billie’s.
Marcie was Bud’s.
The sun rose and set for Marcie through her brother. This was also true about her father. Marcie adored the men in her life beyond reason.
Again, just like her Mom.
“Yeah, baby, it’s gonna start soon,” Mitch murmured.
She tipped her brown eyes to his and grinned a wonky grin.
Fuck, but he loved seeing his wife’s grin on his daughter’s face.
Mitch grinned back.
Then he felt Mara’s fingers on his hand moving to lace through his. They curled tight and his returned the gesture as his eyes went to his wife.
Her eyes were on the field.
Mitch followed her gaze.
Warm ups.
Bud was smiling.
Mitch smiled too.